Heavy bombers can fly the farthest and carry the biggest
payloads of any bomber class. Two of the most famous heavy
bombers of World War II were the British Avro Lancaster and
the American Boeing B-29 Superfortress. Lancasters were the
most prominent bombers used in the European theater and
comprised the main force at the firebombing of Dresden. With
a massive wingspan measuring over 140 feet, the Superfortress
was produced by the thousands exclusively for the war with
Japan. The atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were
dropped from B-29s. The Superfortress also saw extensive
action in Korea, and five specially trained B-29 crews stood
ready to drop atomic bombs there as well.